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Aubameyang Upstage Yaya Toure To Be Africa's Best Of 2015 [See List Of Winners]

Gabon skipper and Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Thursday upstaged favourite Yaya Toure to win a first CAF African Player of the
Year Award for 2015.

In a vote conducted by coaches or technical directors of CAF
member-nations, Aubameyang tallied 143 points ahead of Yaya Toure, who scored
136 points. Andre Ayew recorded 112 points to place third.

It was a sweet revenge for Aubameyang after he lost the 2014
prize to Yaya, who has previously scooped the prestigious individual accolade
in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

His accolade comes despite a year without trophy success. He
was captain of the Gabon team eliminated in the first round of the African
Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea at the start of 2015 and his club
finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season.

However the 26-year-old Gabon skipper has been in outstanding form
for German Bundesliga club Dortmund this season, scoring 18 goals
in 17 appearances as Dortmund again chase Bayern Munich for the championship.

Aubameyang recieving his award from CAF and acting FIFA president Issa Hayatou

Aubameyang's father was captain of Gabon and played
professionally in France. His mother is Spanish, he was born in France but
raised in Italy.

The African Footballer of the Year is decided by a vote of
coaches or technical directors of all Africa's national teams.

Toure had won the award for an unprecedented four years in
succession from 2011-2015 and was the favourite for a fifth after captaining
Ivory Coast to the African Nations Cup title.

Ghana international Andre Ayew, who left Olympique Marseille
in France for Swansea City in mid-year, was third with 112 votes. His father
Abedi Pele won the award three times from 1991 to 1993.

Frenchman Herve Renard, who led Cote d'Ivoire to the 2015
Africa Cup, was named Coach of the Year.

This was his second such award after the 47-year-old coach
also led Zambia to upset favourites Cote d'Ivoire to lift a first-ever Nations
Cup trophy and bag the individual prize in 2012.

Yaya Toure won the award of the team of the year with Cote D'Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire were also picked as Team of the Year ahead of
the likes of Nigeria U17 team, who won a record fifth World Cup in Chile in
November, and Nigeria U23, who triumphed at the U23 Championship in Senegal,
which also doubled as a qualifier for this year’s Rio Olympics.